Pile ointment tube



June 20, 1950 K. SENFF 2,512,115

' FILE OINTMENT TUBE Filed Sept. 3, 1946 INVENTOR. KARL SENFF Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT] o F c PIIVJE OINTMENT TUBE an sale, Detroit, -Mich. assignor t6 it; P, Scherer Corporation, a corporation of Michigan 3, 1946, Serial No. 694,450 1 7 Application September s'olaims. (o1. res-272$ This invention relates to improvements in fluid dispensing containers, tubes, capsules, or the like.

It relates particularly to an improved container for fluid composition, which container includes a compressible body portion and an elongate tubular neck portion communicating therewith and through which the fluid contents of the body portion are adapted to be ejected upon the collapse of such portion.

Heretofore such containers have been commonly formed wholly of gelatin or other similar flexible shell material. A conventional container of this character comprised a hollow compressible body provided with an elongate tubular neck through which the contents of the: body could be expressed upon opening the outerrend of the neck and squeezing the body to force the. contents out through the neck.

One common commercialform:-'of-such container is the conventional gelatin pile. ointment capsule wherein there is 'a-hollowxcompressible body portion provided with an elongate tubular neck portion through which the ointment content of the body portion is ejected upon collapsing such hollow body.

It was common practice with this type of container, and it was true of the'specific commercial type of container above mentioned, forthe elongate tubular neck portion to be designed for insertion into an orifice ofuthe humanlbody forthe discharge of the contentsfof .the container thereinto. In the pile ointment containerhereinabove referred to the body portion andtheneck portion were both formed of thesame :g'elatin composition material. If the gelatin sheet. material fused in the formation of the-capsule-were-sufficiently soft and flexible .to permit easy collapse of the body between the fingers, the long narrow neck portion of the container was so soft and flexible that as a consequence it was frequently difficult to insert such neck into the intended orifice without the neck bending or doubling over. If the gelatin sheet material used inthe formation of the capsule were sufiicientl'y rigidto provide a neck sufiiciently stiff as to insure easy insertion thereof into the intended orifice; the shell of the body of the capsule was so ri id as to render its collapse difficult. :J" An object of this invention is to provid'e a'di'spensing container .of thewcha'r-acter "described plastic sheet material.

which, has a. soft, flexible readily compressible, hollow-body portion and also has an elongate tubular neck portion. through which the fluid contents of the body may be expressed upon compression-of the body, and the wall of which neck portion is so rigid and still that the neck can be readily inserted against resistance into the intended orifice without undesirable bending or flexing of the neck portion.

Another object is to provide a container characterized as above describecLthe wall of which container is formed throughout of gelatin composition, and wherein the hollow body portion of the capsule is so soft and flexible that it can be easily collapsed between the fingers of a user to expel the contents thereof, and wherein the long tubular neck portion of the capsule is so stiff that it can be readily inserted against resistance into an orifice. l

A further object is to provide a container having a body portion and a neck portion and which container is so formed that a portion of its wall which extends lengthwise throughout at least the length of the neck is relatively. rigid and another portion of its wall which extends lengthwise throughout the .body is relatively soft and com pressible so that the body may be'collapsed to express thecontents thereof through the neck.

In one specific embodiment the wall of the container consists of two opposed complementary longitudinally extending-side wall sections sealed together along a seam line extending longitudinally'of the container. Both of these sidewalls are formed of gelatincompositi'on, but one'side wall is formed of gelatin sheet'material which is relatively flexible and the other side wall is formed of gelatin sheet material which is relatively stiff. Thestiflz side wall rigidifies the neck portion of the capsule so .thatthe neck may be readily inserted into an orifice against resistance; the soft sidewall provides afiexible body wall which permits collapse of the .body for expressing its contents.

My improved container is simple, inexpensive and easily fabricated according to approved commercial processes. Its shell is preferably formed entirely of gelatin composition or other suitable The container, and particularly the discharge neck portion thereof, is sufiiciently rigid along its longitudinal axis to serve the purpose intended and the hollow body wall portion is sufliciently flexible to be easily collapsed.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious features will more fully appear from the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an improved dispensing container or a capsule embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1 showing the two halves of the container separated from each other, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

This improved container wherein the body portion is so formed as to exhibit sufiicient flexibility to permit of ready collapse thereof suflicient to express the fluid contents of the body and wherein the neck portion is so formed as to exhibit suificient rigidity to facilitate an insertion of such neck into an orifice against resistance, may preferably be constructed by providing'two complementary wall portions which extend lengthwise of the container and are sealed together along a seam line and one of which wall portions is relatively rigid and the other of which wall portions is relatively flexible. Preferably the cue tire wall of the container may be formed of some suitable plastic material such as gelatin composition. One wall portion, indicated as I, might be formed of relatively soft and flexible gelatin sheet material; the other wall portion 12 might be formed of relatively stifi and rigid gelatin sheet material.

These two complementary longitudinal halves are sealed together along a seam line H! so as to provide a unitary hermetically sealed container or capsule. The relatively soft and flexible shell portion renders that part of the capsule body sufliciently flexible to permit collapse of the body to express the fluid contents of the body. The relatively rigid shell portion renders that part of the neck sufficiently rigid to permit insertion of the neck into an opening against resistance. These two half-portions of the shell may be difierently colored if desired.

It is common practice to form capsules of this kind from two gelatin sheets between a pair of complementary dies, one-half of each capsule being formed from each sheet. Due to this method of manufacture it is entirely practicable to provide one-half of the capsule of relatively stiff sheet material and the other half of the capsule of relatively flexible sheet material.

The art well understands howto increase the flexibility or rigidity of gelatin sheets. The degree of flexibility of the two sides of the finished tubes is determined by the relative amounts of gelatin on the one hand and glycerine or sorbitol syrup onthe other hand. As the percentage of glycerine or sorbitol syrup in the gelatin composition is increased at the expense of the gelatin the flexibility of the gelatin sheet is increased. The following examples are illustrative of suitable formulas:

Example I OWN Example II Rigid Side Soft Side Per cent Per cent Gelatin- 55 8. 999884 10. 99988 Glycerine i2 34 Titanium Di .0001 .0001

Example III Rigid Side Soft Side Per Cent Per cam Gelatin 67 42 l3 id 20 iii Example No. 2 is one in which the two halves are of difierent colors. The examples are merely illustrative. In each, the formula for the two sides is appropriate to obtain the desired result.

What I claim is:

l. A fluid dispensing capsule of the pile ointment type comprising a hollow body portion provided with a communicating elongate tubular neck portion, the wall of said container throughout the body portion and the neck portion being formed of opposed complementary longitudinal side wall sections of plastic material sealed together along a longitudinal seam line, one side wall section being formed of plastic material of substantially greater rigidity than the other.

2. A fluid dispensing capsule of the pile ointment type comprising a hollow body portion provided with a communicating elongate tubular neck portion, the wall of said container consisting of opposed complementary longitudinal side wall sections of plastic material each being integral throughout the body portion and the neck portion, said sections being sealed together along a longitudinal seam line extending throughout the body portion and the neck portion, one side wall section being formed of material sufiiciently flexible throughout the body portion of the container to permit of collapse thereof and the other side wall section being formed of material sufliciently rigid throughout the neck portion of the container to prevent bending upon resisted insertion lengthwise into an orifice of the body.

3. A fluid dispensing capsule of the pile ointment type comprising a hollow body portion provided with a communicating elongate tubular neck portion, said container consisting of two 0pposed complementary longitudinal side wall sections of gelatin composition sealed together along a longitudinal seam line extending throughout the body portion and the neck portion, one side wall section being formed of relatively stiff and rigid gelatin sheet material and the other side wall section being formed of relatively soft and flexible gelatin sheet material.

' KARL SENFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

